Foot-support.



` o. A. HOWB. f

FOOT SUPPORT.

APPLIOATION FILED 001224, 1910.

1,025,571. l mentedmay *251912 .roorsnrronr M.; dava opeceston mf Letters Potent.

rateateiinay t, 1912.

To 03H @from 'j may Concern:

lle it known that l, tjiirnniss A. Hows, citizen of the lllnited State, residing at Chi.- 4Jn, in the county olf (look and State of 4ds, have inte rertain new and useiul lniproreniei in Foot-Supports; and ll do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot the invention,

such will enable others skilled in the art.

to 'aliieli it apperlains to malte and Ause the eating the position ot the foot therein and,

position oi -tny said devices upon the latter lily intention is particularly intended to olf the feet dus to laclr of proper snppoi't for thearcli or instep thereof, and thOv olf this pc ion oi' the f reins on, cords, liga sonores of es and zi strain at the 'the nietatsrsa o canse a sprn i, oit the i, strain probaA w communi sailed "to ie tendons and ligaments of the foot and rapid fatigue of rind intense pain in the toot. which extends' through the snltle into the) call ol the leg.

lily invention has for its objeet to provide means for supporting the srch of the toot and yieldingly embracing andvconlining the instep portion thereot whereby the above ioentioned strains are obt'iatod, To these ends l provide a plete A olf n t fiole mate rial,. o. erably solo lest?` trimmed o lid ,i sie latu ercot" be Y iper tlace fie contour bell i of the toot.

of the convex iaee of a fresh-water clamshell The thickness of the plate A at its thirltest point B as well as the exact position ot the latter relative tothe whole surface se must be Changed and varied to tit. the shapes and sizes of the feet of different persons, beine; sometimes disposed nearer the forward end or nearer one sidel edge or it may be. shifted to lie near the meeting 'point of 55 the forward end and side 4edge and may sometimes be farther removed from either the said end or said side edge or :tronrboth as may be determined by observation and eX- periinent in each particular case. The said 70 thickest portion of the plate is interposed under that portion of the' foot immediately rearwardly of what is generally termed the From its thickest porlion the plate tapers longitudinally grad 7'5 ually rearwardly toward its rear end Which terminates in a sharp edge usually disposed innnediateiy forward of the heel of the foot, and` sometimes extended to lie underneath the heel, and laterally said plete tapers lessq gradually, the 'side edge thereof adapted to he 'disposed nearest the outer side of the toot, being also sharp and lying underneath the fourth, or tl'iefourth and` fth, metsitsr sal bones. The exact positions and relative 85 elevations of the metatsrsal bones differ in different individuals so that the 'Width and lateral taper of the plate must be varied toA snit each case and to provide substantially uni-,torni support to eachof said bones. The QQ arch of the foot is thus firmly supported but such support insufficient vto alone remedy the cause oit fatigue and pain in the feet.

.llie prejsure upon the feet tends to cause the Inetatarsal bones to spred' and this ap- 95 pea-rs to contribute largely to thetronile sought-,to be remedied; Vl have found that s broad band C ot elastic webbing passing over the arch or instep and yieldinglyembracing the same sufliciently. resists the tend- 100 ency to spreading of this portion ofthe foot to gire the desired relief, only, however, in conjunction with the plate A support-ing the said arch, that is to say, neither the plate A nor the band C used alone Will afford sub- 10? stential relief but that the two Itogether afford vcomplete relief. lt is preferable to se cure the band C tothe plate A by'means, for

exemple, of stitching .D et several. points, edge ot iid bond thus serving to hold thepla'te A 110 nst displacement.

.- vlilastlcity ci? the band C is absolutely es ineombination, 'a flexible plate having convex loiver and upper faces, the upper face thereof adapted to oppose the sole of the foot? said plate being of greatest thickness lat a point lying rearwardly of and adjacent the ball of the foot and on the inner side of the latter, said plate extending longitudinally to a point adjacent the heel and laterally tov a' point adjacent the outer side of the foot andbeing tapered from said thickest point in variousdegrees to the periph-` ery, the latter being sharp, and an elastic hand adapted to pass. around 'the foot underneath said plate and over the instep, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A device of the kind specified comprising a' plate of flexible material having a lower aee ogee-curved in the direction of its length, and a convex upper face, the latter adapted to oppose the sole of the foot, and being of greatest height at its forward end portieri, the latter adapted to support the portion of the foot lying immediately rearwardly of the ball thereof, said plate Atapering' sharply from said highest point in said convex face to the forward end thereof latter adapted to ho d the same in place and tovcoact therewith to confine the metatarsal bones, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my l name in presence of two subscribing Witnessesj CHARLES A. HOWE. Witnesses M. M. BOYLE, F. P. HIGLEY. 

